This invention relates in general to reclining or folding seats in a vehicle and more specifically to latches controlling the pivoting motion of such seats. The seat latch system of the present invention, as disclosed herein, relates specifically to a combined recliner latch and vehicle seat locking mechanism.
Many automobiles include two rows of seats: a front row of seats and a rear row of seats. Especially for two door vehicles, the front seats often have mechanisms which allow the front row of seats to recline or move forward a relatively large amount to allow easy entry or access to the rear row of seats. Forward reclining of seats is commonly referred to as dumping. Conventional mechanisms include latches which permit the manual unlatching of the front row seat back recliner to pivot in a forward direction. After the rear row occupant is seated, the seat can be moved rearward back to its normal position. Some vehicle seats are also equipped with recliners which adjust the angle of the front seat back relative to the seat bottom for occupant comfort. To provide easy rear seat entry, these conventional seats include an additional mechanical latch which disengages the linkages to permit the seat back to be manually pivoted forward by a relatively large amount.
Seat latches are designed to sustain large forces during normal use, e.g. the weight and movement of the occupant, and even larger forces during an impact. Under vehicle impact conditions, large impact forces may be delivered to the seat back regardless of whether it is a rearward or frontal impact. In a rearward impact, the occupant is forced against the seat back, and the seat may experience a large energy pulse. Similarly, in a forward impact, and particularly in vehicle seats which incorporate a seat belt restraint system that is directly connected to the seat back, the occupant could engage the restraint system and therefore cause a relatively large energy pulse or force to act on the seat back via the restraint system. The latching devices of the present invention, as disclosed herein, can be adapted to be attached between a seat back, a seat bottom, and/or a seat track.
In the past, latching mechanisms that controlled reclining and dumping to provide sufficient support against large forces were often bulky or required multiple or separate devices to perform the respective tasks. These bulky devices were also relatively heavy and expensive. Additionally, these bulky devices made reclining or dumping the seat more difficult since larger forces were required to move the mechanisms.